How to Overcome Depression
A student had stopped doing Buddhist practices and had become depressed. Rinpoche gave the following advice.
My most kind, most dear, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I know that being in the West in such a society with different concepts and all kinds of things, this can lead to depression. Many people in the West have this. They go through so much depression and take heavy medicine, and the medicine destroys their healthy body and mind.
The essence of my advice is for you to read the section of the lamrim on the perfect human rebirth. Read about the three types of usefulness, how it is most difficult to find again and how what you have now won’t last forever because there is death. Not only is there death, but death can happen so easily, at any time. After death, the body and mind separate, however, the mind continues. Even after enlightenment the mind continues. After nirvana and enlightenment the mind continues, and even in your samsara the mind continues. You must read that section in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand well.
Also think about the clear light nature of mind. Geshe Sopa Rinpoche said that is related to the absolute truth and the shunyata nature of the mind, which is buddha nature. The nature of mind is clear light, that’s why no matter how much suffering there is, it is temporary, and that’s why the cause of suffering, delusion and karma, is temporary. It is not oneness with the clear light nature of mind. It is not oneness with the mind. The mind is temporarily obscured due to the wrong causes and conditions.
With the right causes and conditions, negative karma can be purified because of buddha nature. The ultimate nature of the mind is emptiness only. Just as a dirty towel can be washed with water and soap to remove the gross dirt, and the subtle smell can be removed by again washing with soap, so too not only the gross delusions but also the subtle obscurations can be purified by actualizing the path. The mind can be totally cleaned, and that’s why we can become enlightened. We can become enlightened because all the gross and subtle obscurations can be purified. All the qualities are there. There’s nothing more to gain. Once the gross and subtle obscurations are purified we become a buddha [Tib: sang-gye]. That’s why all sentient beings can become enlightened. No matter how great our suffering may be, we can be liberated even from the suffering of hell. These things are only temporary and can be ceased; we can be liberated from all the sufferings.
It all depends on what you do with your mind. Therefore, your mind can be kept totally in great happiness by reading the lamrim, meditating and thinking about what I said. Mainly do that, for a few months. On the basis of what I’m saying now about the nature of mind, meditate on buddha nature. You can even be free from the suffering of the hell realm, which is just temporary. It’s not forever; it’s impermanent. Compared to the suffering of hell, no matter how heavy the human suffering may appear to be, it’s great peace. It’s like nirvana. You have to understand that.
Don’t worry about what happened in the past; that you couldn’t do this and you couldn’t do that. These things happen because we are human beings and have strong delusions, but now you can put effort and do your best.
My idea is that you should follow universal education, the seven things that are the basis, starting with being kind to others day and night; then practice the sixteen human dharmas.1 Follow that. Then the ten divine dharmas after that. Those seven things at the beginning bring so much happiness and good luck in the life.
Recite the Thirty-five Buddhas more often, but without a distracted mind. It is the Thirty-five Buddhas but think it’s the Guru sending light to you and purifying your negative karma and obscurations collected since beginningless rebirth. The other thing you need to do is Lama Chöpa tsog. On the tsog day, you can ask to do more of the tsog verses ting dzin ngag dang… and you can offer numberless oceans of nectar tsog to the Guru-Buddha. After each OM AH HUM generate great bliss, and visualize light is sent to you purifying all the negative karma and imprints collected since beginningless rebirth.
With much love and prayers...
Notes
1 See the 16 Guidelines for Life, available from The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom. [Return to text]